We're Done

   Yesterday was our last day of work at LBJ.  It was a busy afternoon.  Four buses.  Tour buses always make for busy moments.  If the bus has 60 passengers, it means 5 tours of 12 (which is the maximum number of folks allowed on a tour) so 50 minutes of time is spoken for.  When added to a full visitor center of regular visitors, it makes for a stressful time for the ranger scheduling tours.
    The weather was sunny until about noon when a cold front bullied it's way south.  I took a group into the house in bright sunlight and 35 minutes later, when I exited, it was cloudy.  Within an hour sprinkles turned to light rain and soon a nice steady rain was blessing central Texas.  Four hours of soft rain.  Tours continued until the end of the day, but a good way to end our tour of duty.
     Today, Randa had a doctor's appointment to remove the stitches in her foot.  We also turned in our uniforms and keys and said good-bye to the office folks.  Then it was back to the ranch and finish packing for the trip.  Most everything is packed.  Satellite was the last to be taken down.
     Tomorrow, we dump the tanks and stow the hoses.  There is always last minute items to be put away.  I will also spray silicone on the slide rails to make them retract easier.  I always cross my fingers when I flip the switches for the slides.  Lets hope everything operates normally in the morning.

A Country Lane

One of the lanes near the rv area of the ranch.

Our New Pet

Our friends David and Judy found a lonely bird that needed adoption and they knew who would love it.   So meet "Jessie Vultera"  Isn't he cute?

Hye Cidery

   Yesterday was the Grand Opening of the Hye Cidery nearby about 6-7 miles east of the ranch on Hwy 290.  I noticed the location the first weeks we were here, but had to wait until yesterday to check it out.  We had gotten word that the opening was coming and luckily it happened before we left central Texas.
    Trevor, and his wife, have been working to get the place opening so it was great to be a part of their event.  The "Official" opening was advertised as 5pm but the gates opened at noon.  We got there a little after 3.  David and Judy were there.  Steve and Lois were still parking and we backed in next to them. 
   Free tasting, peanuts, cordial hosts, live music, good friends, cider, and a Mediterranean food truck.  An awesome and fun afternoon/evening .   What I am going to remember about Texas.

Junction school

Yesterday was an anniversary.  On April 11, 1965 the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was signed by Lyndon Johnson.  The signing was done at the Junction School which is on the grounds of the LBJ National Historic Park.  It was the first school that the future President attended, albeit at the early age of 4.  The is said to have sat on the lap of the teacher, Miss Kate Deadrich Loney, who attended the ceremony and sat beside him.

This page shows rules for teachers in the year 1872.  They will make you smile. 

On the Run

This is the Big Guy at full gallop.  It's beauty on four feet.

Trees

Pedernales State Park

We went traveling today.  Pedernales Falls State Park.  Large park, lots of trees, nice campground.  The Pedernales River runs down over rocks, in and out of pools and finally flows through the rest of the park.

Spring Tours at the Ranch

   The Spring wildflower bloom has brought a "bloom" of visitors to the ranch.  The numbers are similar to those during Spring Break but less children.  This is both good and bad.  It is good to see the park so busy; people enjoying the park and learning more about the 36th President of the United States.  The down-side is that the number of tour givers is down.  The Seasonal Rangers have gone.  The government has a regulation that prevents seasonal employees from working more than 1039 hours at one NPS site because they would then earn benefits.  Most of the Park Rangers you come in contact with at a National Park or National Monument is probably a seasonal employee.  Seasonals comprise a majority of NPS staff at most parks at their busy seasons.  The parks could not function without them.  They, with volunteers, keep the parks open and running smoothly.
   In addition, there is a government regulation that prevents seasonals from working more than once a year in a region.  So the rangers that worked here at LBJ in Texas this winter can not work this spring/summer in Yellowstone because it is in the same region.  That does not seem logical to me, but this is the government we are talking about.  It's our loss for sure, but it makes it difficult for those rangers to find another job.

Wildflowers in Texas

It's Spring.  The wildflowers are starting to bloom and folks come by the droves to see them.  The highways are lines with flowers at this time of year.  Bluebonnets, primarily, but also Paintbrush, Mexican Hats, and others.  I don't know them well enough to name them but yellow ones and white ones.  The winter rains this year were not great so the flower crop is not what it was two years ago when we were here but it is still fun to drive around and enjoy the views.  We took a ride on the Willow Creek Loop a couple of days ago and here is what we saw.

 The ranch has been swamped with visitors the last couple of weeks because of the blooms.  It makes driving the roads more fun.

Cloud

Saw this on the way home from supper last night.  I stopped the truck on the bridge over the Pedernales River and Randa took this shot. 

The Texas White House

The LBJ Ranch house called the Texas White House because he spent 490 days of his 5 year presidency here at his ranch.

Flowers Mountain Laurel

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There are several of these Mountain Laurel bushes near the ranch house.  The pretty purple blossoms smell like grape Kool-Aid and attract lots of butterflies.